Ukraine + America, North Korea + Russia, and Baseball + Big Money

October 24, 2024

Hello, readers – happy Thursday! Today, we’ll be talking about a loan for Ukraine, a new accusation against former President Trump, a terrorist attack, North Korean troops in Russia, E. coli, Bill Gates, and baseball’s price tags.

Here’s some good news: A new rule from the FTC prohibits the sale or purchase of fake reviews of products online. Also, at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the world’s largest digital camera is preparing to power up and begin its mission to photograph the entire night sky.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Calling In The Big Loans For Kyiv

(Zelenskyy and Biden by Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)

With the way the war in Ukraine is going (and the shift in focus to the Middle East), we wouldn’t blame you if you felt that global leaders had put Kyiv on the back burner as of late. Now, though, the West is making up for lost time by sending a $50 billion loan package to Ukraine. All of that money will be paid back to lenders from the profits of Russian bank accounts in Western countries, which have been frozen since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in 2022. President Joe Biden said, “In other words, Ukraine can receive the assistance it needs now, without burdening taxpayers.”

At least half of America’s $20 billion loan package – earmarked for the country’s rebuilding efforts – will make its way to Ukraine by December, with the second half – designated for military use – coming after Congress approves it. Eventually. The Russian fund-backed loans make up just a fraction of the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Russian assets frozen in Western bank accounts – if the conflict comes to an end soon, the funds will stay frozen in Western accounts until their interest can pay back the loans, or Moscow will be forced to pay for the aid itself.

Is This The October Surprise?

(TW: sexual assault) Donald Trump has more trouble headed his way. A former model who claims to have met Trump through deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein accused the GOP presidential candidate of groping and sexually touching her during a visit to Trump Tower. Williams was working as a model and met Epstein in 1992. The two briefly dated and, while on a walk together, Epstein suggested they visit Trump at Trump Tower. Williams claims it was “very clear then that he and Donald were really, really good friends and spent a lot of time together.”

When they visited Trump Tower, Williams said Trump greeted her by grabbing and groping her body. She also claims that she saw both men smiling at each other while this was happening, and said she felt like it was some part of a “twisted game” and that she “had this horrible pit in my stomach that it was somehow orchestrated. I felt like a piece of meat.”

The Trump campaign says that Williams’ story is false. “These accusations made by a former activist for Barack Obama and announced on a Harris campaign call two weeks before the election, are unequivocally false,” said the campaign’s press secretary. “It’s obvious this fake story was contrived by the Harris campaign.” Williams, for her part, claims that she hadn’t recounted the story because she wanted to protect her privacy.

Unlock Your Personalized Health Plan

Change the way you think about dieting. Noom’s innovative program is designed to work with any lifestyle, so you can make lasting, healthy changes in just 10 minutes a day. With daily lessons and group accountability, you’ll have the support you need along the way.
Noom’s psychology-based approach helps you make behavioral changes, empowering you to make healthier choices. Their tracking tools ensure you reach your goals at a comfortable pace.
Millions of people are already creating healthy routines and achieving their goals, so what are you waiting for? Take Noom’s quiz and unlock a weight loss program customized for you – now with GLP-1 options!

Terrorism In Turkey

At least five people were killed in an alleged “terrorist attack” on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) yesterday, with 22 more injured. According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the two attackers (one man and one woman) were killed at the scene of the crime. Witnesses said they heard gunfire and explosions as the attack was being carried out.
TUSAS is a Turkish state-owned aerospace company known as the “crown jewel of Turkey’s defense industry” for its ability to manufacture fighter jets and armed drones. Turkey’s government says it doesn’t know what group is responsible for the attack, but has pinned the blame on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the meantime. Following the attack, Turkey conducted multiple airstrikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq and northern Syria, declaring that many PKK operatives were killed as part of the retaliation campaign.

Dictatorship Diplomacy, Part Deux

U.S. intelligence has confirmed that North Korea is sending troops to Russia. “We assess that between early- to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby yesterday. “We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability.”
It’s not clear when, if at all, the North Koreans will get involved in Ukraine, but Kirby has promised that they’ll become fair game for Kyiv if they do. “If they do deploy to fight against Ukraine, they’re fair game. They’re fair targets,” he said in his statement yesterday. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has noted that Washington is still trying to figure out what Russia is giving to North Korea in exchange for military support.

More Mixed Nuts

Middle East Mixed Nuts

Ba-Da-Ba-Ba-Ba…I’m Lovin’ My Deadly Bacteria

An E. coli outbreak across nearly a dozen states was linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, leading to at least 49 illnesses and one death. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert Tuesday about the outbreak – while no specific ingredient was listed as being to blame, the FDA says that the slivered onions or beef patties are the likely culprit.
Colorado, Kansas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as portions of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma have all stopped using the onions and the patties at their McDonald’s locations, and about a fifth of stores have taken the item off the menu. E. coli symptoms usually start three to four days after ingesting, so keep an eye on your stomachs, folks!

Bill’s Droppin’ Bills

Bill Gates has reportedly said privately that he recently donated $50 million to Future Forward, a nonprofit organization supporting VP Kamala Harris’ presidential run, but three sources say he wanted to keep the donation quiet. Gates has rarely, if ever, spoken about politics in the past, so it’s a major shift for the billionaire.
Gates (again, reportedly) said “This election is different” and “expressed concern about what a second Donald Trump presidency would look like,” a source familiar with the matter told the New York Times.

More Nuts In America

America’s Very Expensive Pastime

The World Series kicks off this Friday as the two biggest teams in baseball prepare to meet on the sport’s biggest stage. The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the New York Yankees in L.A. tomorrow for what we’re sure is MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s wet dream. To get a sense of how much hype is surrounding this World Series, all you have to do is look at ticket prices. On average, tickets are reselling for a whopping $1,703 a piece – that’s almost a full thousand dollars more than tickets were averaging last World Series, which saw the Texas Rangers crush the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.
The cheapest ticket available at Dodger Stadium is going for $975, but things get really outrageous once the series moves to the East Coast. At Yankee Stadium, standing-room-only tickets cost $1,476, while the privilege of sitting in a chair will cost viewers $1,790. That’s about a third of the median monthly salary in New York City.
But New Yorkers aren’t the only people spending wild amounts of money on baseball. Yesterday, an anonymous buyer shelled out $4.392 million to buy one special ball hit by Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is the only player in the history of baseball to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season – he smashed the ball in question into the stands on September 19, causing a scramble in the crowd. The multiple people who claim to have caught the ball are working out their dispute in court, and the $4.4 million will sit in an auction house’s account until the suits are settled.

More Loose Nuts